RyothChatty ridiculous rating

CommentsXp Best movie ever!

Catangro After playing with our expectations, this turns out to be a very different sort of film.

Jemima It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

Darren Jones I was lent this on DVD a long time ago, and didn't get round to watching it, partly because I was worried that it would be a disappointment. I have taken part in Rallying for 7 years, and have been lucky enough to compete at a high level in an amateur capacity, and was worried the film would just be a "movie star spends a lot of money on a passing fad" affair, badly made and insincere, and the presence of Jeremy Clarkson on the credits added to this.I couldn't have been more wrong.From the beginning, this film appears to be a labour of love, and explanation of an obsession and a journey that has taken the majority of Eric Bana's life. It is beautiful to look at (aside from the quality of the in-car footage which sadly is a victim of the technology of a few years ago), and a real tribute to how Eric feels about his car and his relationship with his friends and family, with the car having been the centrepiece of this relationship - an excuse to get together which often men need to do so. It takes us through the history of the car, its transformations over the years including the current one to compete in the 2007 Targa Tasmania rally, 11 years after their first entry.The feeling of competing and more importantly how it makes us feel is well articulated, and the relationship between Eric and his navigator is one I know well, and felt myself laughing when they behaved as I have done on the stages with little jokes between the crew or being told off for going too quickly or told to "GO!" when it was time to hurry up.*SPOILER* - when the car is crashed, it is covered in a way which doesn't just show what happened, it shows the effect of it on the crew and their friends and family, and how they re-evaluate their relationship with the car and what it has meant to them over the years. Having been in the position that Eric Bana was, I really related to what he was saying about the car and what it meant to him, and also Dr Phil's description of the relationship between people and their cars. Seeing Eric's reaction to it was extremely interesting, particularly when he said he'd rather have a broken arm or leg than have 'killed' the car, and his apology to his navigator straight after the accident is something I completely identified with.I feel that I've really learned something by watching this film - not only about Eric Bana's relationship with his friends via his car, but also my own. It articulated the feelings that cars and specifically rallying evokes far better than I've ever managed or even realised - so much so that I'd say it was the kind of film that anyone who knows someone who competes or who is car obsessed should watch, as it'll probably explain it far better than anyone else could, and into the bargain you'll have an enjoyable 90 minutes watching a well-made and honest film.

SamBlob This is the story of a man in crisis. It is the tale of someone who has taken his most prized possession, the obsession of his youth, the cornerstone of his dearest friendships, and has smashed it to pieces. He still has the pieces, but... what to do with them? What should he do? Is it reasonable for him to be so attached to it? Should he just give it up? This is his quest for answers to a lot of questions, about himself, about his family, about his friends, and, most fundamentally, about the fate of his Beast.You don't have to be a car guy to get it, but it does help. Bana works his demons out in a way that incorporates his two great loves that appeared together in "Mad Max": cinema, and the Falcon XB coupe.I saw this on SPEED Channel, and, although it was not literally made for the network, it fits right in. It is a 93 minute "Car Crazy Confession" with bits of "Jay Leno's Garage" and "Top Gear" thrown in for good measure. Unlike most "Car Crazy Confessions" though, it does not end on the happy note of acquiring or finishing the rebuild of the car of one's dreams; the Beast is still smashed at the end of the film. It ends in hope, though. We know that, barring unforeseen circumstances, the Beast will ride again, just as Bana's father's Beast does at the end of the film, after having been abandoned for ten years and repaired by Eric and his mates. It will probably never see a racetrack again, except maybe the parking lot. Hopefully it will be put on the car show circuit, preferably right beside his father's car. It is a compelling tale even if no-one knew who Eric Bana was, as I didn't at the beginning of the show.All in all, it's a story of Eric Bana's life and an insight into his soul. All it missed was Tracy Chapman's "Remember the Tinman" playing at the end.

tharford-nz I just watched this movie last night (DVD) and really enjoyed it. I don't think I'd agree that this film is for car buff's only - granted, a lot of the movie is based around cars, but I reckon the movie is more about the connection between men and machines more than just car's themselves.The conversations with Jeremy Clarkson, Dr. Phill and Jay Leno were totally interesting too watch. Dr Phill provided a view point outside cars (loved his view points on hobbies and work), Jay Leno had some interesting points on why he crashed (ie. the latest iteration wasn't Eric's own hand work) and Jeremy Clarkson had some real insightful stuff on comparing machines to computers and how machines (ie. cars) exhibit more human traits than computers - hence why there is a bond there.An interesting part of it is how a material object (The Beast) acts as a conduit for men to come around, work on the car and friendships/bonds are formed. I reckon it's the memories created by this is what makes people treasure their cars (and not always limited to cars).I do have to admit that when about 30 minutes into it, I did look at the clock - not in a boring way and not in a way thinking when is this going to end. Probably because it is more of a documentary it didn't have my total interest in it.The sorta sub story about the other bloke and his Ford was awesome as well - the personality of the dude (sorry, forgot his name - one of Eric's mates) doing the interviewing was great - his personality really comes across. Same deal with Eric's navigator.The cinematography is awesome - very well done.The build up to the crash was just simply great - I liked how Eric did this and built up to the event (and the spacemen conversation was funny as!).How there is so much old footage is just unbelievable - it's like this movie was planned from a very long time ago! The insight into Eric Bana was also another interesting point in the movie - how he comes across is just a normal Aussie bloke. Top bloke! I've never had the privilege of staying in one country long enough to have friends for that long, but it's awesome how he's stayed real and kept his mates.There's a lot more to this movie than just the car, but you do have to look past that to see it. Recommend watching the special features on the DVD (interview especially) cause it gives you a little more insight into the actions behind the movie.At the end of the movie, I was inspired, still am - I've never bothered to write a review on IMDb before, but I liked this movie so much I thought I'd put one on here! It's not a movie like Braveheart or Contact (my favorites anyways) but it's also a lot more real than those movies.If I had to pin-point my favorite aspect of the movie, it's how Eric Bana has portrayed his car, his family and his mates in the movie. You can actually get a feel of what the individuals are like, based on what has been filmed and what background dialog has been said about them. You can get a rough idea of what each person is like, solely based on watching this movie - and I think that's a pretty good accomplishment.And I totally hope he rebuilds The Beast!

BACK ROW This is what a camera is for, it is for capturing a story of love, spirit, tension, Passion and all the beautiful things that make us unique as Humans.I think everyone will get something positive from this film even if they are not lovers of cars, because it is about connection with yourself and your world.It evokes all kinds of feelings and therein lies it's magic.It reminds us that we are not alone in this world. That our close friends are important for life. That our silly love for the smallest material object is not silly,it is important, and a dear part of us.I can't say enough My heart and spirit are uplifted.The Imperfection is the Real Beauty we possess as Humans, the very thing that our new Digital World is robbing us of.The Human SpiritEric Bana Peace to your soul manYou are living The Dream, and thanks for sharing it with us.